


By Any Other Name

by aeternamente



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 18:09:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2078052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeternamente/pseuds/aeternamente
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ursula was an uncompromising editor, and in this video, succinctness was key. Also, Pedro and Balthazar didn’t want her to show the next bit, so there was that. But she had to admit it was a wrench, because the conversation that followed might actually have been the most adorable thing she’d ever witnessed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Any Other Name

It happened early in their Vox Pops footage.

Balthazar fixed Pedro with a contemplative, half smiling look. “Peddy—Peddy—?”

Pedro smiled at Balthazar. “What, are you trying to nickname me?”

Balthazar lowered his gaze, a little flustered. “Maybe…”

Pedro laughed. “Pedro  _is_  my nickname!”

“ _What?_ ”

Ursula cut it there, at least for the purposes of the project. She was an uncompromising editor, and in this video, succinctness was key. Also, Pedro and Balthazar didn’t want her to show the next bit, so there was that. But she had to admit it was a wrench, because the conversation that followed might actually have been the most adorable thing she’d ever witnessed.

 "—It’s your nickname? I thought it was your  _name_.”

"Yeah, most people do…"

Balthazar leaned closer. If he had been in a seat, he’d’ve been on the edge of it. “So what’s your name, then?”

Pedro shrugged. “Peter, but don’t go spreading that around, yeah?”

Balthazar laughed. “So how did you come by Pedro?”

"I don’t even really remember this ‘cause I was like three, but apparently, my mum dropped me off for a play date—"

Balthazar waggled his eyebrows. “A play date, huh?”

"Yeah, I’m sure she was a real looker. But  _her_  mum must’ve called me Pedro as a joke or something, and when my mum picked me up again, I just  _insisted_  that the whole family call me Pedro… and they did. And the rest is history.”

"You just insisted?"

"Yeah."

"And they did it?"

"I was a very persuasive three year old."

"Oh, I don’t doubt it."

"What about you then, Mr.—Mr.  _Balthazar_?” Pedro turned the tables with a sly grin. “Is that really  _your_  real name?”

"Yes!" Balthazar said defensively. Then hedged a bit. "My middle name…"

Pedro pounced. “Your  _middle_  name!” He laughed. “Come on, let’s have it then—your real first name.” _  
_

Balthazar was already looking down and shaking his head. “No…”

"Come on, I told you mine, it’s only fair."

Balthazar continued shaking his head, going a bit pink in the face.

"Oh, this has got to be  _terrible_. Okay now I’ve really  _got_  to know.”

Balthazar mumbled something unintelligible.

"What was that, Balthy? I didn’t hear you!"

"Stanley. It’s  _Stanley_ , all right?”

Pedro gave a shout of laughter. “It’s better than I could have hoped!”

Balthazar smiled a bit in spite of himself and nodded at the ground.

"Well, now I think we’ve come to a better understanding of each other," Pedro said.

"Yeah, now I can blackmail you if I need to," Balthazar quipped.

"Hey! Don’t forget that I can blackmail you right back."

They shared a laugh and a fond exchange of glances.

At the same moment, both of them noticed Ursula behind the camera. (Ursula tended to have the effect of making people forget she was there, but also Pedro and Balthazar tended to have the effect on each other of making them forget anyone else was there, so altogether, it was a strong case for Ursula’s supposed nonexistence.)

"You must never speak of this again," Pedro warned. There was a joke in his voice, but you could tell he was kind of serious too. Balthazar nodded in agreement.

So Ursula cut the conversation.

But she kept it on file for possible future use.


End file.
